First Egg of the Season

 Our milkweed plants are barely sprouts at the moment, but there is one single egg on them already.  I have some extra milkweed seeds that I think I will also start planting in case I need more leaves than our plants will produce.  I have not had the chance to set up a proper sanctuary, and probably won't be able to this year.  I still haven't had any monarch sightings yet, but if this egg did come from one of my babies, it would have been Humphrey, who was my first release last year. And, yes, she was a female despite the traditionally male name. This year I may not be naming very many of my cats, but this first one should definitely have a name.  I will update you on what name that is once I have more updates to share. 

Right now, the paper wasps are pretty well under control, and may not be as much of a threat this year.  However, we have carpenter bees under our deck.  They've nested their fat little butts right next to my dogwood tree, which is where I hung my chrysalises last year.  I think it's in my best interest to find somewhere else for my chrysalises.  The carpenter bees are very aggressive, territorial, and have a personal grudge against me.  Honestly, I could go on and on about how intelligent and aggressive they are,  but this blog is about butterflies, not bees.  If you want to hear my thoughts on the hidden smarts inside the carpenter bee, feel free to leave a comment and I will go off.